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Department of Ecology News Release - November 16, 2007
07-340
OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has partnered with Washington DECA and Comcast Spotlight to produce the very first "Litter and it will hurt" Video Competition for state high school students. The competition officially kicks off at DECA's Western Region Leadership Conference in Seattle, Nov. 17-20, 2007. DECA is the club for high school students interested in marketing.
Over 10,000 Washington DECA members will be challenged in fall 2007 to create litter prevention commercials to be aired on Comcast Spotlight cable channels in 2008. Students across the state will be shooting their work on phones and cameras and uploading them to a website hosted by Comcast Spotlight. Entries will be evaluated and the winners announced during DECA's State Career Development Conference, March 6-8, 2008, in Bellevue.
Budding marketing and advertising executives will be given approximately two months to complete a 15 to 30 second commercial that creatively captures the "Litter and it will hurt" campaign messages. Every year in Washington State, over 12 million pounds of garbage are tossed or blown onto interstates, state highways and county roads. Another six million pounds are tossed in parks and recreation areas. Fines for littering in Washington are severe with penalties of $103 for a food or beverage container, $1,025 for a lit cigarette, and up to $5,000 plus jail time for an unsecured vehicle load.
"We wanted to tap into the creativity of Washington's high school students to communicate the dangers of littering - both to our environment and the traveling public," said Megan Warfield, Ecology litter programs coordinator. "By asking students to come up with innovative litter prevention commercials, we are educating students about littering while helping them apply their artistic and technological abilities."
Students are encouraged to use any available means to record their commercials, including camera phones. All submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by a panel of judges, including representatives from Comcast Spotlight, Ecology, DECA, and an advertising firm. Additionally, students will vote for their favorite video on the contest website. Winning spots will be selected based on creativity, relevance to the campaign, and appeal to viewers between the ages of 16-24.
The winning spot will be professionally produced and shown on Comcast Spotlight cable channels and the contest website-a welcome addition to a high school student's resume. Other prizes include video equipment, scholarships to DECA conferences, and a private party to celebrate the winning video.
"This is a great opportunity for our students to get hands-on marketing experience and to get their work seen by professionals and statewide audiences," said Shanna LaMar, executive director of Washington DECA. "By participating in this challenge, students will learn vital skills such as video production, social marketing, promotions and how to market a web-based campaign. DECA is committed to teaching students about marketing, management and entrepreneurship. We see this contest as a wonderful learning project."
"We are extremely excited to see what these students come up with and working with them to air the winning videos," said Greg Bennett, vice president, Comcast Spotlight. "We will be keeping our eyes peeled for potential future executives as well."
For more information on the 2007 "Litter and it will hurt" Video Competition visit www.litteranditwillhurt.com.
About the "Litter and it will hurt" campaign The Washington Department of Ecology's "Litter and it will hurt" campaign launched in 2002 with the ongoing goal to help reduce potentially dangerous litter on Washington state highways, state roads, and county roads. The campaign emphasizes pressing issues such as preventing cigarette butt litter, securing loads and reporting violators in order to raise awareness about the toll careless littering is taking on public roads and recreation areas. Since its inception, there has been a 24 percent decrease of litter on Washington state highways despite the growth in the state's population. Visit www.litter.wa.gov for more information.
About Washington DECA:
As the third largest state association in the country, Washington DECA gives students hands-on experiences in the fields of marketing, business and entrepreneurship that teaches leadership characteristics to develop high school students into character-driven leaders. Visit www.wadeca.org for more information.
About Comcast Spotlight:
Comcast Spotlight in Seattle represents over 50 networks in 20 local zones in the Seattle television market. Comcast Spotlight also represents interactive products such as VOD (Video on Demand), Comcast.net, and other emerging advertising technologies. Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps put the power of cable to use for local, regional and national advertisers. It is focused on moving the industry forward in advanced technologies and innovative products to reach audiences most effectively and efficiently. Comcast Spotlight is a trademark of Comcast Cable. For more information, visit www.comcastspotlight.com.
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Media Contacts:
Megan Warfield, litter programs coordinator,
360-407-6963
Kathy Davis, media relations, 360-407-6149
For more information: Litter Campaign Website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/litter/campaign.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
